How it all got started

In 2010 I rediscovered mountain biking. I had done a few summers as a mountain bike instructor back in 98 and 99 at Camp Thunder Canoe Base and Training Center Boy Scout Camp in Georgia. I also had a bike when I lived in Colorado and did a few rides there. Somehow it never stuck and the interest just wasn't there. I have had a bike for the past few years that I dragged around from place to place that was desperately in need of an overhaul and last spring I finally got around to getting it looked at. Turned out it had a cracked head tube. I wanted to ride and I had no bike. So, I had to buy one. I shopped around Omaha and with the help of Chris Gardner settled on the 2010 Scott Scale 29.


This was Scott's first foray into the 29er market but it was a nice bike and I was ready to hit the trails. I got a few rides in, did one race and even bent the front rim.

I was really starting to enjoy the riding. I even did the Urban Assault Ride in Des Moines, IA and Gnome Fest in Wisconsin. I also want to mention that there is a pretty good little bike culture in Omaha and getting involved into that really got me even more interested in cycling. Love those Taco Rides!! Going into September there was a lot of talk about this thing called Cyclocross. What the hell is that?

Looks painful right? Well, good thing I enjoy some of that. A cyclocross bike is a little different than other bikes, it has a road bike type frame, rim brakes and knobby tires. You can do cyclocross on a mountain bike so I decided to try it out first on the Scott. The great guys over at The Bike Way started holding cross practices so I jumped right in. It was a blast and decided it was time for another bike, crazy right?! I got lucky and found a Surly Cross Check on Craigslist for a great price and Chris and I built it up with some nice parts.

I raced Cat 4 in all the Omaha area CX races. I also raced Spooky Cross in Des Moines, IA. I even joined The Bike Way racing team. Needless to say the bug had me firmly in its grasp and going into the winter months I was already making plans for the 2011 season... Big Plans! Unfortunately the Air Force didn't want to help me with those plans and decided I would be better served in another country. This is great for skipping the Omaha winters, not so great if you are training for a bike race.